Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth said that CSK needs to drop star off-spinner R Ashwin from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) XI after their embarrassing home defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 11 as well. However, Ashwin faced another poor outing with bat and ball in CSK’s eight-wicket defeat to KKR. He also scored a dismal seven-ball one in CSK’s batting innings while coming in at No.6. He claimed only five wickets in six outings at an average of 39.60 and an economy of almost 10 as well.

“Ashwin has been bowling TERRIBLY. If he keeps bowling like this, I’m not even sure if he’s going to be in the XI, let alone play well. Jadeja is not at his peak. I want CSK to remove Ashwin from the XI. I have been supporting Ashwin till now but not after this performance, I think CSK should be bold and drop him. There’s a leg-spinner called Shreyas Gopal, right? Play him instead of Ashwin in the next match. Remove Ashwin from the team. It will work out. Gopal is a really good player, he can win matches. He has fire in the belly. I backed Ashwin for the longest time, but I can’t anymore. I have seen it all,” he said.

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However, Kris Srikkanth asked CSK to play fresh faces in the XI instead of the tried-and-tested options in the upcoming matches. CSK have faced a horrific 2025 IPL season so far, losing five out of their first six matches as well.

“Try someone new. Going back to the same people like Tripathi and Hooda, what message are you sending? CSK is the best among the worst teams. They don’t have batting, bowling, or fielding. If you feel the season is going to go terrible, try out new players. That’s how you got Ruturaj Gaikwad,” Kris Srikkanth concluded.